The US approved a deal to sell Qatar $300 million in guided missiles Monday (April 9th), on the eve of President Donald Trump's White House meeting with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, AFP reported.
The Gulf emirate hosts the largest US air base in the Middle East.
The emir met US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Monday and is due to meet Trump on Tuesday.
As a warmup to the visit, the State Department approved the sale of 5,000 Advance Precision Kill Weapon Systems (APKWS) to Qatar, including 5,000 high explosive warheads.
"Qatar is an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Persian Gulf region," the State Department said.
"Our mutual defense interests anchor our relationship and the Qatar Emiri Air Force plays a predominant role in Qatar's defense," it said.
